Melissa's Dream
by Donna Tempus
Summary: This is a story I wrote back in March 2009. On the one year anniversary of my dad's passing., it's a one shot story.


Melissa sat at her desk finishing up her accounting work for the day. She looked up and sighed heavily, eyeing the clock on the wall near the supervisor's cubicle. It was five minutes until she could pack up and leave for the day. She closed down her computer and locked up her desk, checking her purse to make sure all was in order. Grabbing her coat, she signed out and headed for her car, leaving the huge insurance office building where she worked in Baltimore, Maryland.

On the way home, Melissa stopped at the cemetery; it had been a year since they had buried her father. Tears misted her eyes as she remembered her mother calling with the news that he had passed. Thank goodness she was not yet at work that day! Though she knew it was coming — they all did — it still was hard.

Melissa parked near the gate; entered, and wandered over to the section where her father's grave was located. As she stood there, she reminisced about that day, and about the whole year afterwards. She wished she had thought to tell her dad she loved him and to thank him for being there for her and for her mother, brother, and sister.

She jumped when she heard a wheezing noise coming from nearby; she looked, wondering what it was. Near the center of the cemetery, in a clearing where there were no graves, a blue box appeared. Melissa approached it cautiously. It looked like one of the old fashioned police call boxes they used to have in London, England, in the '60s. She gave a start as the door opened and a tall, thin man came out. Melissa wondered whether she should run or call for the police, but the man appeared harmless as he looked around. His chocolate brown eyes fell on her, and he gave her a friendly grin. "'Ello!" he hailed her in greeting. "Can you tell me what place is this?"  
"Um," Melissa stammered. " This is Holy Cross Cemetery."  
"I can see that." The stranger sounded a bit testy. "Where might this cemetery be?" he continued.  
"About a mile outside Brooklyn Park, Maryland," Melissa answered, wondering where this man was from. "Before you ask, it's March 24, 2009," she continued, anticipating his next question.

The man smiled, running his hand through his tousled, brown hair as if remembering his manners at last. "I'm being rude again!" he said apologetically. He held out a hand towards Melissa. "I'm The Doctor," he said as an introduction.

Melissa smiled at the lack of a proper name. "Doctor of what?"  
"Practically everything!" came the answer, with a grin. The man seemed to do this a lot. Melissa felt strangely comfortable around this pin-stripe-clad stranger. "You must be from London! I could tell by the accent. Welcome to America," she said politely.

"Thank you," The Doctor answered. "What are you doing here in this cemetery?"  
Melissa indicated the grave she had just left. "I was visiting my dad; he died a year ago today."  
The Doctor noted a tone of sadness in her voice. "It's been a hard year for you," he murmured.  
Melissa nodded as tears came unbidden down her cheeks. "It's hard."

"I know what usually cheers me up," The Doctor announced. "A nice cup of tea!"

Melissa smiled. "That's my mom's remedy for everything."  
"Smart woman, your mum." The Doctor indicated the TARDIS. "Fancy joining me in a cuppa?"  
"Won't it be kind of crowded?"  
"You'd be surprised. This is my ship, and she's called the TARDIS. It stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space."  
"What does that mean?" Melissa asked, puzzled. "Are you an alien?"  
The Doctor nodded. "Yup!" he said popping the "p." "The TARDIS is bigger on the inside than on the outside," he explained as he opened the door.

Melissa peeked inside apprehensively, still not believing what the Doctor was telling her. Her eyes widened as she stepped inside and took in the "alien-ness" of her surroundings. "This ship actually travels in space?" she asked.  
The Doctor nodded as he followed her inside. "And time as well." He grinned, stroking the central control panel.  
"So you're really an alien!" Melissa exclaimed.  
"Is that a problem?"  
Melissa shook her head. "No, not a problem as long as you don't turn into one of those green bug-eyed monsters," she said with a grin.  
The Doctor laughed. "Not a chance of that!" he said as he ushered her through the inner doors of the Tardis and into the galley.

For about two hours, and several cups of tea, Melissa told her story about her dad and her family at the insistence of the Doctor. Then they sat in companionable silence. "The Tardis travels in time," Melissa murmured, breaking the silence.  
The Doctor nodded. "Anywhere or any when."  
Then he frowned, remembering the fiasco with Rose and her wish to see her dad: it nearly ended up in the destruction of the world.

"Melissa," he started.  
"Doctor, please! There are things I should have said to him."  
The Doctor felt his hearts go out to the young woman. "I can't take the chance of interrupting the timelines again."  
"But I just want to have a second chance of saying what I should have said to him a long time ago!" Melissa said pleadingly. "Not many people have the chance to tell someone they love how they feel before it's too late, but I feel I've been given that chance now."  
"I wish I could have that chance, too, Melissa. I lost someone dear to me, too. I never got the chance to tell her how I felt," The Doctor said.

Melissa nodded. "Then let me have this chance, for both of us!"

The Doctor thought to himself about what Donna would say about the matter if she were here. He could almost hear her voice telling him,

"Doctor, what would it hurt to let her say three little words? It's not going to change the world drastically!"

He finally nodded. "Okay, Melissa, but you must do as I say at all times, and no interacting with anybody that may cause a change in their or your histories, and stay away from your past self!" he admonished.

The TARDIS landed in a small alleyway near Maryland General Hospital. The Doctor and Melissa got out and started to walk towards the hospital. "Remember, this is December, 2007, about three months before your father died. Do not let anyone see you, especially your younger self!" The Doctor reminded Melissa as they walked in.

Melissa showed her ID and got a visitor's pass. They made their way to her father's room. The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Are you ready for this?" he asked.

She nodded. "Okay."

The room was empty of visitors. Only the nurse was there; she finished giving Henry his sponge-bath. She collected the toiletries and nodded, "Merry Christmas" to the Doctor and Melissa as she left the room.

The Doctor squeezed Melissa's hand again and whispered, "Go on, go over to him now."

Melissa gave him a small smile and walked over to where Henry lay in a half sleep.

The elderly man smiled as he recognized his daughter. "Lissa," he said weakly. "You finally came to see an old man."

Melissa smiled through her tears. "Daddy! My Daddy!" she started. "You know I'll always come to see you. Just call me and I'm here."

Henry nodded as older men do. "I'm sorry for not being around when I should have been," he whispered. "I wish I could have been a better dad to you and your brother and sister."

Melissa shushed him. "No, Dad, you were the best! We couldn't have asked for a better father!" She said. "Don't ever doubt your worth to us, to me. I love you, Daddy. I always will."

Henry smiled as his eyes closed in sleep.

Melissa knelt over and kissed his forehead. "Good night, Daddy. God bless you!"

She turned and walked back to where the Doctor was waiting for her.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked

.  
Melissa nodded. "Yes, thank you, Doctor. I know from right now he has only three months to live, but at least he'll die knowing that he is loved and forgiven."

The Doctor nodded and drew her into a comforting hug before guiding her back to the TARDIS. For once he was glad he gave into the demands of a companion.


End file.
